Week #9 Saturday, 16th – Tuesday, Aug. 19th
In your bag:
Swiss Chard
Onions – superstar, red tropea
Carrots, Fennel
Peppers – bell & jalapeno
Cucumbers
Zucchini & Summer squash
Filet Beans
Broccoli or Eggplant
Potatoes – Purple Viking
Tomatoes (sungold cherry, early girl & celebrity
and a couple of heirlooms)
Cilantro& Parsley
Coming Soon.
I’m guessing melons next week, maybe some
lettuce and probably broccoli and eggplant.
Farm News
We got a little bit of rain this past week – not
nearly enough to stop irrigating – just enough to
settle a little dust. The real (and scary) news of
the week is that last Sunday, August 10th, Mike
and I went out to harvest zucchini and there was
FROST on the ground – in August. YIKES!
We planted some fall spinach, turnips and
arugula this week. We’re working on increasing
the variety in the fall bags. We’ll need to hold
off on the frost though ….
Second Payments Due
Many of you chose to divide your pledge into
two payments. The second payment is now
due. If you are unsure if you owe or how much,
please let me know.
Tuesday Help Needed
We need harvest/delivery help for Tuesday,
August 26th and each Tuesday for the rest of the
season. If you can help, please call Michele
Gersich at 612-378-0380 or e-mail her at
mgersich@att.net Thanks!
A Tribute to Nuala Kernan
A very dear friend, ardent farm supporter, and
person extraordinaire, Nuala Kernan, died this
past Wednesday, August 13th. For the past
three years Nuala fought the ovarian cancer that
eventually took her life. She fought with
bravery, humor, some tears and loads of grace.
Our families met 22 years ago when Katie was a
baby and their daughter Caoilfhionn was a year
old. We became fast friends. When we moved
from the city to the farm, they helped with the
move and when we proposed starting a
community supported farm Nuala and John and
Caoilfhionn were right there with us. Nuala
served on our core group for many years,
worked on the newsletter we put out in the
early days, hosted a pick-up site and
coordinated harvest days. When friends and
family visited from Ireland, she would often
bring them out here for a visit and so we had the
good fortune of meeting her sisters and brother
and had a couple of good visits with her
charming father. When she went back to
Ireland, she always brought maple syrup from
the farm, a treat her father liked on his oatmeal.
Nuala was all about community. It was the
piece of the farm that she felt so strongly about.
For Nuala, in fact, the vegetables were just a
side-line. While she was an active committee
member and site host, for many years she chose
to get a bag of vegetables just once a month!
She was one of the firm voices in the creation of
our member-based delivery system, a system
she believed would help foster the connections
she felt were so important.
Wherever Nuala went (and this is true right up
to the end) she reached out, met new people,
took them under her wing and brought them
into her large circle of friends. She will be sorely
missed.
Next Week’s Harvesters
Saturday, August 23 - Jacki Betsworth & George Hunt, Angela & Brian Gustafson,
Julie & Mike Drysdale, Kate Kysar & Scotto Velders, Tom & Darlene White
Tuesday, August 26 – Ann Kragenbring & Phil Bode, Meredith & Dick Poppele,
Brenda Beyer & Barry Schade, Hermann Weinlick, NEED !
www.springhillcommunityfarm.com; springhill@chibardun.net 715-455-1319
VEGETABLE BIRIYANI (6 servings)
From Cooking Light magazine
Dayna Anderson brought this dish out for potluck lunch a few weeks ago. It was very
tasty. I think you could be pretty flexible with the vegetables added –for instance
broccoli rather than cauliflower or zucchini and summer squash rather than the beans you get the idea.
½ tsp. saffron, crumbled
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cups basmati rice, soaked in cold water
10 minutes and drained
3 Tbsp. canola oil
2 lg. onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp. whole cumin seeds
¾ tsp. ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick, broken into 4 pieces
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 plum tomatoes (about ½ lb.), peeled,
seeded, and chopped
6 oz. green beans, cut or snapped into
thirds (about 1 ½ cups)
½ head cauliflower, cut into florets (about
2 cups)
2 carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces (about ¾
cup)
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
and rinsed
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 oz. about ½ cup cashews
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine saffron and milk in a small bowl; set aside. Place
rice in 1 ½ cups cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20
minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions;
cook, stirring over medium heat, until golden brown and slightly crisp (10 to 20 minutes).
Remove half of the onions from pan, and reserve. Add remaining Tbsp. oil along with the
spices, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Pour 1 cup water into pan; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add green beans,
cauliflower, carrots, chickpeas, and salt. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover pan. Cook
until veggies are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until bright green,
about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
Place 1/3 of the rice in a 3 ½ quart heavy-bottom casserole or baking dish with a tightfitting lid. Drizzle half of the saffron milk over the rice. Using a slotted spoon, transfer
half the veggie mixture to the casserole, leaving liquid behind. Place another 1/3 of rice
on top; drizzle with remaining saffron milk. Repeat with remaining veggies and rice.
Spread reserved onions over the top; sprinkle with cashews.
Cover and bake until casserole is heated through and aromatic, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven; let cool slightly before serving.